Many retirees are preferring to keep a mortgage, even if they have the means to pay it off. They say they want to take advantage of low mortgage rates and tax rates and free up their savings for other uses, The New York Times reports.But without a full-time job, are they able to still qualify for a home loan? Banks say they are still willing to lend to retirees, as long as they have regular monthly income coming in, like a pension and Social Secu
There’s a reason utility bills feel like they’re taking a bigger bite out of households’ budgets. On average, utility costs—electricity natural gas, water, and sewer—add 25 percent to monthly housing costs for homeowners and 21 percent to housing costs for renters, according to a newly released white paper by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm, and UtilityScore, a software provider for solar and other home improvement compan
More than two-thirds of Americans believe that owning a home is an essential part of the American dream, according to a new survey released by the National Association of Home Builders of more than 11,300 registered voters.“Americans continue to place a high priority on homeownership and work hard to achieve this goal for their families,” says NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald.Other recent surveys also have shown a high desire for homeownership
If you want to generate more online search traffic for your business, surveys are increasingly showing the number one tactic you need to focus more on: blogging.“It’s not necessarily the most popular tactic among small businesses,” writes Forbes columnist Brian Sutter, in referencing the WASP Barcode 2017 “State of Small Business Report.”Indeed, according to the 2017 Small Business Survey, the most effective means to garner more search
"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984). Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a recording by John Cale, which inspired a recording by Jeff Buckley.Following its increased popularity after being featured in the film Shrek (2001), many other arrangements have been performed by many and various singers, both in recordings a
Homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are most in danger of damage from storms and hurricanes, but the risk spreads beyond typically affected states such as Florida and Louisiana, according to real estate data company CoreLogic.Nearly 6.9 million homes are at risk from hurricane storm surge damage, which carries a potential reconstruction value of more than $1.5 trillion, CoreLogic says in its 2017 Storm Surge Risk Report. A weaker-category hu
Despite growing consumer interest in tiny homes, most homeowners still opt for bigger properties. Over the past few decades, home owners have been adding bedrooms, bathrooms, and extra square footage to their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 Characteristics of New Housing report.In 1980, 64 percent of new single-family homes had three bedrooms, and the median sales price was $64,600. In 2016, 50 percent had four or more bedroo
Here are some of the heftiest costs of homeownership to be aware of:Property taxes. This is often the largest home expense after a mortgage, and some of the highest property-tax rates are in the Northeast. Buyers there might need to take extra financial measures to make sure they can afford their home. Homeowners in Buffalo, N.Y., for example, pay 2.9 percent of their home’s value in property taxes. In Rochester, N.Y., they pay 2.8 percent. Nat
Key Takeaways Be conversational, personal, educational and inspirational on social media. If you don’t believe you have something to offer, what you say will be shallow and meaningless.Keeping up with social media can be overwhelming, so I’ve developed what I call the “Holy Grail” of Facebook and LinkedIn, specifically, to make it easier for you.Whether you use these platforms sparingly or on a regular basis, these five tips will get your
Use these strategies to perfect your email marketing campaigns and grow your lead funnelKey Takeaways Segment email contacts in your CRM to target the right people with the right messages. Make video emails a major part of your email marketing strategy. Pay close attention to open rates and click-through rates and always test, track and analyze.Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing methods for building brand awareness, staying t
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